30

Selfie kay 30 Ibratnaak Waqiaat

PERILS OF SELFIE MANIA



THIS booklet was written by Shaykh-e-Tareeqat, Ameer-e-

Ahl-e-Sunnat, the founder of Dawat-e-Islami Allamah Maulana
Abu Bilal Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadiri Razavi
in Urdu. Majlis-e-Tarajim (the Translation Department) has
translated it into English. If you find any mistake in the
translation or composing, please inform the Translation
Department on the following postal or email address with
the intention of earning reward [Sawab].

Majlis-e-Tarajim (Dawat-e-Islami)
Aalami Madani Markaz, Faizan-e-Madinah, Mahallah Saudagran,
Purani Sabzi Mandi, Bab-ul-Madinah, Karachi, Pakistan
UAN:  +92-21-111-25-26-92 Ext. 7213
Email:  [email protected]
www.dawateislami.net
 

Perils of Selfie Mania

An English translation of Selfie kay 30 Ibratnaak Waqiaat

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Copyright 2017 Maktaba-tul-Madinah

No part of this publication may be reproduced, or transmitted, in any

form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without the prior written permission of Maktaba-tul-Madinah.

1st Publication: Jumadal Awwal, 1438 AH (February, 2017)

Publisher: Maktaba-tul-Madinah
Quantity: 3000
ISBN: -

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Aalami Madani Markaz, Faizan-e-Madinah Mahallah Saudagran,
Purani Sabzi Mandi, Bab-ul-Madinah, Karachi, Pakistan

# Email: [email protected] [email protected]

 Phone: +92-21-34921389-93
 Web: www.dawateislami.net

www.dawateislami.net


Table of Contents

PERILS OF SELFIE MANIA ........................................ 1

Excellence of Salat-Alan-Nabi ................................................ 1
1. How was the thief arrested?........................................................ 2
It is Haraam to deliberately cause destruction to oneself ..... 2
Harmful effects of selfies ........................................................... 3
Time-consuming passion ........................................................ 4
Expensive passion....................................................................... 5
2. Selfie with a snake cost him dearly ............................................ 5
3. Doctors took selfies during operation ...................................... 6
Passion which harms the health ............................................... 7
Passion which costs life ............................................................. 7
4. Taking a selfie holding a hand grenade .................................... 8
5. He died after falling down some steps of Taj Mahal............... 8
6. A girl and her parents drowned in the river ............................ 8
7. The girl fell down from the 17th floor........................................ 9
8. Taking selfie while swimming cost them their lives ............... 9
9. White lion attacked him ...........................................................10
10. Trigger squeezed accidentally while taking a selfie .............10
11. Hit by the train .........................................................................10
12. A woman fell down from the train ........................................10

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Perils of Selfie Mania

13. Selfie with a toy gun caused death .........................................11
14. Craze for a unique selfie cost her life ....................................11
15. Passion for selfie cost the student her life ............................11
16. She suffered a massive electric shock while taking a selfie ...12
17. Passion for selfie drowned her ...............................................12
18. Couple died after falling from cliff ........................................12
19. Selfie while hanging from the bridge ....................................12
20. Tourist fell from the top of 1640 feet waterfall ....................13
21. Two close relatives drowned in the river..............................13
22. Snake bit him............................................................................13
23. Plunged into the rivulet while taking a selfie .......................14
24. Two young men drowned ......................................................14
25. Taking a selfie with a gun caused death................................14
26. 43-year-old man dies of his own bullet ................................15
27. A selfie caused her intense suffering! ....................................15
28. 15-year-old boy was severely wounded ................................16
29. Tourist plunged into the well while taking a selfie..............16
30. A baby dolphin suffered death...............................................16
Selfies while performing Hajj and Umrah ............................16
Desire for selfie replaces request for Dua .........................17
Excellence of Islam ...................................................................17


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PERILS OF SELFIE MANIA



Kindly read this 22-page booklet completely.  it

will bring about benefits in this world and the Hereafter.

Excellence of Salat-Alan-Nabi
The Revered and Renowned Rasool has stated,
O people! Without doubt, the one to attain salvation quickly
on the Day of Judgement from its horrors and accountability
will be the one amongst you who will have recited Salat upon
me in abundance in the world.
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In this booklet, most of the material on selfie, including the

incidents, has been collected from the internet.

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Perils of Selfie Mania

1. How was the thief arrested?
In Roche fort, a city of France, a 22-year old man stole a
mobile phone. His passion for taking selfies resulted in him
being arrested. According to a newspaper report, this criminal
had stolen a persons mobile phone in the same city in the
month of July. After many days, the criminal took his selfie
from the stolen mobile phone while roaming in the city. He
was unaware that the smartphone-owner had adjusted such
settings which automatically send every photo, taken from his
smartphone, to his personal computer. As soon as the criminal
took his selfie, it was immediately sent to the personal
computer of the smartphone-owner! Without any delay, the
owner forwarded that photo to the police. The police quickly
reached the location seen in the selfie and arrested the thief.

It is Haraam to deliberately cause destruction to oneself

Dear Islamic brothers! The passion for selfie (i.e. a photo of
oneself that one takes with a smartphone) is getting deeper and
stronger nowadays. Just a few years ago, the word selfie didnt
even exist in the English dictionary. In 2013, this word was not
only added to the dictionary, but it was also declared to be the
most important word of that year! After taking selfie and
posting it on the social media, a person also urges others to like
or dislike it. To become more and more famous in a short span
of time, there are many people in the world who go beyond
limits for taking selfies with the well-known personalities.
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 Perils of Selfie Mania

They even risk their lives for taking selfies in front of large and
tall buildings, waterfalls, dangerous creatures like any lion,
crocodile, shark, etc., and moving trains. Remember! Without
any Shari reason, deliberately causing destruction to oneself is
a sin and a Haraam [i.e. prohibited] act that leads to Hell. In
Ayah 195 of Surah Al-Baqarah, part 2, Allah  has stated:

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And do not fall into destruction with your own hands.
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Harmful effects of selfies

If there is any benefit of selfie, it may be described by those who
have passion for it. They will perhaps regard selfies as a benefit
in terms of preserving great, special and wonderful memories.
However, its harms in different situations are far greater than
its benefits. Some of these are:

 Precious time is wasted in pursuing the passion for selfies.

 Wealth is lost.
 A persons health deteriorates.
 Passion for taking dangerous and amazing selfies can even
cause death.

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Perils of Selfie Mania

 Taking selfie in a no-selfie zone can make a person suffer
punishment for violating the law.
 Indecent selfies spread immodesty and indecency in society.
 Some nave and careless girls post their selfies on the social
media. The evil-minded people can edit those photographs
using the latest available pieces of equipment and
techniques, making those photographs appear immodest
and indecent and causing those girls to be disgraced.
 People who remain engrossed in mobile phones, especially
social media and selfies, can indulge in the sin of violating
the peoples rights in case of failing to spend time with the
family, which can also cause family feuds [quarrels].

Time-consuming passion
This is a time-consuming passion: selecting a strange and
interesting place for a selfie, then reaching the selected destination
after travelling for several hours, posting that selfie on the social
media, seeking feedback, and noticing how many people have
liked or disliked it - all this consumes a considerable amount
of time. Remember! Every moment is a priceless pearl. Explaining
the significance of time, the Beloved Rasool

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has stated, TA

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i.e. there are two blessings in which many people are in loss:
(1) Good health (2) Spare time.
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 Perils of Selfie Mania

Ponder over the fact that every morning dawns with a day of
24 hours. Hence whether a person is wealthy or poor, man or a
woman, child or adult, teacher or a student; (if alive) he is
gifted with the wealth of 1440 minutes in a day and night daily
and he does not also have to make any effort for it. According
to the Gregorian calendar, in 365 days, these minutes add up to
half a million, i.e. 525600 minutes; or eight thousand seven
hundred sixty hours. A person may either waste this wealth of
time or benefit from it, depending upon his own will. Time is
the wealth which cannot be saved [for future use]. Time passes
[in every circumstance] even if you do not benefit from it, like
ice melts and disappears even if it is not used. Time can be
spent in good and virtuous deeds for a better afterlife. Now
honestly reply to a question; isnt it foolishness to spend it in
taking selfies and in other useless activities?

Expensive passion
One needs to spend a considerable amount of money to pursue
the passion for selfies. First of all, one of the best mobile phones
or cameras is purchased, and then internet fee is also paid. Gone
are the days when selfie was taken by holding the mobile phone
in the hand. Nowadays, selfie sticks and other pieces of equipment
are used for taking selfies which are certainly purchased.

2. Selfie with a snake cost him dearly

An American citizen developed the passion for taking a selfie
with a snake. While he was taking a selfie with the snake, it bit
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Perils of Selfie Mania

his arm and slithered away in the shrubs. The snake venom
[i.e. poison] quickly affected the body. The victim started
frothing at the mouth and writhing in immense pain. For
medical treatment, he was taken to a nearby hospital where he
was given an effective antidote1 and many injections. After he
recovered, he received the bill from the hospital and was
completely taken aback. His passion for selfie had cost him a
hospital bill of more than 100,000 dollars (about ten million
PKR)! That American citizen had one more snake for more
than a year but he had become extremely frightened by this
incident, so he left it in the jungle.

3. Doctors took selfies during operation

In a private hospital of Shaanxi, the North-western province
of China, doctors developed such passion for taking selfies that
they remained busy in taking selfies even during the operation.
Some made the V-sign whereas others smiled while posing for
the selfies. When those photos were noticed, the officers of the
health department dismissed three senior doctors from their
posts because of heedlessness. Moreover, other staff members
pictured in the photos were reprimanded and denied three
months pay. The hospital management apologised to the public
for this heedlessness, stating that it was the last operation in
that operation theatre, so those doctors had taken the selfies
[for preserving the memories].

1
A substance that stops the effects of a poison.
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 Perils of Selfie Mania

Passion which harms the health
According to the research work published by the Ohio
University, hundreds of social media users were examined. The
research revealed that there is a high risk of psychiatric and
mental disorders in those people who take and post excessive
selfies. Medical researchers of London have stated that frequently
taking selfies with the smartphone not only harms the facial
skin but also causes it to wrinkle. According to the experts, the
light emitted by the smartphone and electromagnetic radiations
harms the facial skin, causes a person to get old early and
wrinkles to appear on the facial skin.

Passion which costs life

Passion for selfie can even cost ones life. People who have
passion for interesting selfies act strangely at public places
[while posing for the selfie], causing dangers to themselves as
well as to others. They eventually end up lying in the hospital
bed or even on deathbed. According to a newspaper report,
passion for taking selfies has claimed the lives of about 49
people from 2014 to 2016. Most of them were under the age of
21; and 75 percent of them were men. Taking selfies is most
dangerous at high places and in water. Sixteen people died
after falling from high places; fourteen drowned, eight died
after being hit by trains, four died from gunshots, two died
because of grenades explosion, two died after being hit by the
planes, two died after being hit by the cars and one died after
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Perils of Selfie Mania

being attacked by an animal. Most of them died in India.
Therefore, people have been banned from taking selfies at 16
places in India. After India, most people died in Russia while
taking selfies, whereas Pakistan is at number 10 among such
countries. Following are some selected unfortunate and
admonitory incidents related to selfies.

4. Taking a selfie holding a hand grenade

In Russia, 2 young men died at a mountain peak while taking a
selfie holding a hand grenade with the pin pulled out.

5. He died after falling down some steps of Taj Mahal

A Japanese tourist died after he fell down while taking a selfie
and ascending the stairs at the Royal Gate of the famous
historical building, Taj Mahal (Agra, India).

6. A girl and her parents drowned in the river

An 11-year-old girl drowned after she slipped and fell into a river
while attempting to take a selfie on the bank of Kunhar River
in Beesian village in KPK (Pakistan). Seeing her drowning
daughter, her mother also jumped into the river to save her but
she also drowned. Seeing his wife and daughter drowning, the
girls father also jumped into the river to rescue them but he
also met the similar fate. Both the parents were doctors from
Punjab province (of Pakistan) and had taken their family to
that tourist spot for enjoying the holidays. They are survived
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by a nine-year-old daughter and six-year-old son who themselves
witnessed the incident. Alas! The passion for selfie has left the
two survivors orphan, claiming the lives of their parents and
elder sister.

7. The girl fell down from the 17th floor

While taking a selfie, a 12-year-old Russian girl fell down from
the balcony and died. According to a report, she lost her
balance and fell down while attempting to take a selfie, sitting
on the railing of her flat located on 17th floor. She had said to
her mother: I am going to the roof to enjoy in the open air.
Instead of going to the roof, she went to the balcony to take a
selfie. According to the police, the girl had sent that photo to
one of her friends [before falling down]. Her friend noticed
that the photo had been taken at a dangerous spot, so she
phoned her [deceased] friend immediately but the call was not
answered. Then her friend forwarded that photo to the girls
mother but the girl had already fallen down and died. A
passer-by saw her dead body and reported it to the police.

8. Taking selfie while swimming cost them their lives

In Kotwaal Gorah - an area of Shamsabad, Hyderabad (India)
- 2 young men drowned while attempting to take a selfie
during swimming. According to a report, 14 young men of
Hyderabad (India) had gone to Kotwaal Gorah for swimming.
None of them knew how to swim. Two of them slipped while
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taking their selfie and drowned. One of them was 17 and the
other was 18 years of age.

9. White lion attacked him

In Delhi zoo (India), a young man was searching for an
interesting place to take a selfie. He came to the cage of a white
lion but the moment when he posed for the selfie, the lion
attacked him and he died on the spot.

10. Trigger squeezed accidentally while taking a selfie

A 22-year-old young man from Lahore (Pakistan) probably
became the first victim of selfie-mania in 2016. Police stated
that the young man was taking a selfie in the presence of his
friend, having aimed the pistol at his own chest. Meanwhile,
the trigger was accidentally squeezed. He was immediately
taken to the nearby hospital but he died of the pistol shot.

11. Hit by the train

In December 2015, attempting to take a selfie on a railway track
in front of a moving train, a young man in Rawalpindi (Pakistan)
was unfortunately hit by the train. He died on the spot.

12. A woman fell down from the train

In Colombo, a 25-year-old Chinese woman who was standing
on the trains footboard 1 fell down from the train while

1
i.e. the step that you place your foot on when getting on a train.
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 Perils of Selfie Mania

attempting to take a selfie with her mobile phone. She was
taken to the hospital but could not survive severe injuries.

13. Selfie with a toy gun caused death

2 school students who would passionately take selfies with a
toy gun and post them on the social media, eventually became
the victims of the police gun. Standing in a park, both of the
students were taking selfie with a toy gun. Meanwhile, the local
police fired on them suspecting that they were robbers. The police
firing inflicted serious wounds upon one of the students who
died in the hospital. This unfortunate and regrettable incident
occurred in June 2015 in Faisalabad, a city of Pakistan.

14. Craze for a unique selfie cost her life

In May 2015, an 18-year-old girl of Romania went to a railway
station with her friend to take a unique selfie on the roof of the
train and to post it on the social media. Climbing the roof of
the train, she touched the electric wires and, as a result, the
electric current of 27000 volts cost her life.

15. Passion for selfie cost the student her life

In 2014, a 23-year-old nursing student fell down from a height
of 15 feet on a concrete structure after losing her balance while
attempting to take a selfie on a bridge in southern Spain. She
was taken to the hospital but could not survive serious injuries.
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Perils of Selfie Mania

16. She suffered a massive electric shock while
taking a selfie
A 17-year-old girl was attempting to take a selfie on the highest
spot of the railway bridge in Saint Petersburg, a city of Russia.
Meanwhile, she accidentally touched the electric cables and
suffered a massive shock of 1500 volts, causing her to fall from
the height of 30 feet, which resulted in her death.

17. Passion for selfie drowned her

An 18-year-old girl drowned in the Philippines while taking a
group-selfie in sea-waves on her friends birthday. This
engineering student was engulfed by a tidal wave and lost her
life while busy taking a selfie along with her friends.

18. Couple died after falling from cliff

In August 2014, a couple was trying to take a selfie along with
their children while standing on the edge of a cliff in Cabo da
Roca, Portugal. They slipped and fell down from the edge of
the cliff. Both of them died in the incident. The children saw
their parents plunge to their death.

19. Selfie while hanging from the bridge

In June 2016, a 17-year-old university student died in an attempt
to take a selfie while hanging from the bridge in Moscow. In
the past, he had taken many other selfies on the roofs of tall
buildings of Vologda, a city in Russia.
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 Perils of Selfie Mania

20. Tourist fell from the top of 1640 feet waterfall
While taking a selfie, a 28-year-old Korean tourist fell to his
death from the top of a waterfall in the Amazon jungle. The
young man lost his balance while taking the selfie, slipped and
fell from the top of 1640 feet waterfall. The rescue team
recovered his dead body, submerged seven metres deep in the
lake, and transferred it to the nearby hospital.

21. Two close relatives drowned in the river

In the Kaghan valley of KPK province of Pakistan, the passion
for selfie cost a man and a woman their lives on Saturday.
According to a report, in an attempt to take a selfie standing
on a rock on the bank of Kunhar River, a 29-year-old young
man slipped and fell in the river. His close relative also plunged
into the river to rescue him but both of them drowned. The
local eyewitness has stated that the young man was taking a
selfie standing on a rock. I was about to forbid him but before I
could do so, he slipped and plunged into the river.

22. Snake bit him

In Saraa-e-Alamgeer (Punjab, Pakistan), a 26-year-old young
man was bitten by a snake while attempting to take a selfie with
it. As a result, he died of the snakebite. He was the resident of
Bannu and had gone to visit his relatives in Saraa-e-Alamgeer.
-DQJ$NKEDU2QOLQH2FWREHU

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Perils of Selfie Mania

23. Plunged into the rivulet while taking a selfie
A resident of Lahore (Pakistan) slipped and plunged into the
rivulet while taking a selfie on the bridge of Jagran rivulet located
at Kutton, a beautiful site of the Neelam valley. His friends
rescued him and took him to the military hospital for medical
treatment but he could not survive injuries. His dead body has
been handed over to the relatives for the funeral. ,ELG-XO\

24. Two young men drowned

3 young men fell into the river while taking a selfie in Hala
(Sindh) but only one could be rescued. The three young men
were taking a selfie standing on the riverbank of Indus River
but slipped and fell into the river. Sailors present there could
rescue only one of them whereas the other two drowned.
,ELG-XO\

25. Taking a selfie with a gun caused death

In Gujranwala (Punjab, Pakistan), a young man while
attempting to take a selfie holding a gun died of the gunshot.
He accidentally squeezed the trigger, becoming the victim of
his own bullet. In the Holy month of Ramadan, this resident of
Chaman Shah Road went to the Masjid of his area to offer
Salat-ut-Taraweeh. He took the gun from the security guard
for taking a selfie with it but accidentally squeezed the trigger.
The bullet hit him in the stomach which wounded him

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severely. He was admitted to the [nearby] hospital for medical
treatment and later on transferred to the hospital in Lahore,
but he could not survive severe injuries and passed away.
-DQJ$NKEDU2QOLQH-XQH

26. 43-year-old man dies of his own bullet

Losing life while taking amazing and interesting selfies, is not
something new. In America, a man accidentally shot himself
dead while taking a selfie with his friend, holding a gun.
According to the police, the man had loaded and unloaded the
gun multiple times while taking selfies but the last time he
unloaded it, a bullet remained in the gun unnoticed. Assuming
that there is no bullet in the gun, he squeezed its trigger and
the bullet hit him causing his death on the spot. ,ELG0DUFK

27. A selfie caused her intense suffering!

People have developed great passion for selfies these days which,
at times, cause them intense suffering. A Turkish girl got into
the same situation. She was busy taking a selfie with her mobile
phone at the seashore in Samsun, a city in Turkey. Meanwhile,
she slipped and lost her balance. At first, her mobile phone
dropped from her hand and then she also fell down getting
stuck in a gap between two rocks. After enormous efforts of
two hours, she was rescued alive by the rescue team.
-DQJ$NKEDU2QOLQH0D\

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28. 15-year-old boy was severely wounded
In Punjab (India), a 15-year-old boy was severely wounded by
accidentally shooting in his head while taking a selfie. The
incident occurred while he was attempting to take a selfie with his
fathers pistol but accidentally squeezed the trigger. ,ELG0D\

29. Tourist plunged into the well while taking a selfie

In Junagadh (Gujarat, India), an Australian tourist got into trouble
by plunging into the well while taking her selfie. Hearing her
screams, people rushed there and rescued her alive.

30. A baby dolphin suffered death

Selfie lovers dragged the baby dolphin [called Francisca] out of
water for taking selfies with it. The baby dolphin died after
being dragged out of the water, which has annoyed the wildlife
experts and other common people. Francisca is one of the
smallest dolphins in the world, found only in Argentina, Brazil
and Uruguay.

Selfies while performing Hajj and Umrah

Selfie lovers are found pursuing their passion for selfies during
the blessed journey [to Makkah and Madinah] and even while
performing Hajj and Umrah. People instantly take a selfie at
any place they like and post it on the social media, making it
public. Selfies are even made while kissing Hajar-e-Aswad or

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 Perils of Selfie Mania

performing Tawaf and Saee, which causes hindrance to others
performing these acts of worship. People jostle or fall over each
other which cause them great difficulty. In an attempt to take
selfies while worshiping, the selfie-taking people lose their own
concentration and devotion as well. Some people are found
taking selfies even near the blessed Golden Grille in front of
the sacred Muwajahah. Some overly bold people even turn their
back towards the sacred Muwajahah for taking a selfie. If only
everyone understand that the journey towards blessed Haramayn
is for earning Sawaab [reward], not for taking selfies.

Desire for selfie replaces request for Dua

In the past, if anyone met any Islamic personality like spiritual-
guide [Peer], Islamic Jurist [Mufti], etc. at home or outside, he
would usually request that blessed personality for Dua but
nowadays, some people try their best to take a selfie with any
blessed personality they meet, instead of requesting them for
Dua.

Excellence of Islam
Dear Islamic brothers! For getting rid of the bad habit of
taking unnecessary selfies, busy yourselves in reward-earning
activities,   this will save you from useless activities.
The Beloved and Blessed Rasool  has said:
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Perils of Selfie Mania

person in Islam, one virtue is that he abandons everything which
is purposeless and useless. 7LUPL]LYROSS+DGHHV

A renowned Mufassir, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan

has
stated: It means that a perfect Muslim is the one who refrains
from such speech, act and every such thing that neither brings
him any religious benefit, nor any worldly benefit. Whatever
he speaks or acts should benefit him either in this world or in
the Hereafter.    ! This will bring about goodness in
this world and the Hereafter. 0LUDWXO0DQDMHHKYROSS

O Lord of Mustafa! Bless us with spending our time in

performing those activities which will bring about goodness in
both the worlds.
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